Imprinting device with indexer

ABSTRACT

An imprinting device having a rotating member for successively imprinting different indicia on a surface, the member being rotated by an indexing device, the indexing device including a plurality of spaced apart abutment members extending axially from the rotating device which are acted upon by a reciprocatively movable member having spaced apart cam surfaces thereon, the cam surfaces contacting the abutment members during reciprocatory movement of the movable member.

United States Patent [191 Shenoha et al.

[ Dec. 9, 1975 IMPRINTING DEVICE WITH INDEXER [75] Inventors: James L. Shenoha, Lockport; Bud

Sheth, Downers Grove, both of I11.

[73] Assignee: Norwood Marking & Equipment Co., Inc., Downers Grove, Ill.

[22] Filed: Dec. 7, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 422,654

[52] US. Cl. 101/88; 74/129; 101/79 [51] Int. Cl. B41L 45/00; B41J 4/34 [58] Field of Search 10l/72, 78, 79, 85, 88, lOl/llO; 74/129, 88,161

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 745,279 11/1903 Higgins 101/72 X 2,148,861 2/1939 Kall 101/72 X 2,377,583 6/1945 Smith 101/72 X 3,107,606 10/1963 Baratelli 101/88 4/1964 Clausing 101/111 12/1964 Venables 74/129 Primary ExaminerEdgar S. Burr Assistant ExaminerEdward M. Coven Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Hill, Gross, Simpson, Van Santen, Steadman, Chiara & Simpson ABSTRACT An imprinting device having a rotating member for successively imprinting different indicia on a surface, the member being rotated by an indexing device, the indexing device including a plurality of spaced apart abutment members extending axially from the rotating device which are acted upon by a reciprocatively movable member having spaced apart cam surfaces thereon, the cam surfaces contacting the abutment members during reciprocatory movement of the movable member.

2 Claims, 19 Drawing Figures Patent Dec. 9 1975 Sheet 1 of 4 IIIL.

U.S. Patsnt Dec. 9 1975 Sheet 2 of4 3,924,527

U.S. Patent Dec. 9 1975 Sheet 3 of4 3,924,527

U.S. Patent Dec. 9 1975 Sheet4 of4 3,924,527

IMPRINTING DEVICE WITH INDEXER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates in marking devices and more particularly to an indexer for a marking device.

2. Prior Art Imprinting devices such as stamping or inking devices often times include means for changing the imprint. These means are used to change a date imprint or an hour code or for successively numbering the imprinted or marked surfaces. Many prior' art devices operate with a wheel which is rotated to present differing type faces capable of making differing imprints such as successive numerals or letters or the like. Further, such devices may have a plurality of such rotatable members. The rotating members may themselves have surface portions thereof equipped with the imprinting type or make use of a band having spaced raised type imprint sections that may be received around the rotating device. Additionally, quite often the band or the like is received around a stationary or second rotating device but has another portion attached to a primary rotating member to control movement of the band.

The movement of the rotating member or of the band controlled by the rotating member can be controlled either manually or by an indexing device. Manual control is useful in low cost imprinters where frequent change of the imprint indicia is not necessary. Such examples are common date stamping devices. Mechanical indexing devices are used in marking devices such as hour printers or production line imprinters and other systems where either frequent changes or automatic changes are desired.

Mechanical indexers are often times automatically controlled either by a clock or by a counter which may be tied into a mechanical linkage system to automatically index the marker to another position to change the imprint. Time clocks and the like are examples of such automatically indexed markers. Another example may be found in production and packaging machinery where it is desired to imprint code data or successive numbering on product or product packages.

Automatic indexing devices have used hydraulic pressure cylinders to actuate movement of the indexing device. In other instances solenoids or simple mechanical linkages have been utilized. These devices are normally connected to a ratchet system for rotating the rotatable member of the marking device. Other devices, such as positive action electic motors and/or geneva drives have also been suggested.

The prior art indexing means have, for. the most part, been mechanically complex, bulky, and inaccurate. It is desirable that the indexing device be a positive acting device which will not take up much room, be economical to manufacture, be mechanically simple and capable of long life, and, further, be able to lock the rotating member in the desired imprint position. The prior art, to date, has not provided all of these features.

Recently, a positive indexing device has been suggested for use in another field. An example of such a positive device is shown in the U.S. Patent to H. .I. Venables, III, U.S. Pat. No. 3,161,070 issued Dec. 15, 1964. Indexing devices such as those illustrated in the aforementioned patent have the ability to positively rotate a shaft to a desired degree and maintain it'in the newly rotated position with a minimum of moving parts.

SU MMARY Our invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art multi-piece ratchet and pawl indexis for marking devices without using the prior art expensive and bulky positive motor indexing means. We have adapted a reciprocating cam indexing device of the type disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,161,070 to a marking device. The reciprocating cam indexing system includes a slide member held in position adjacent to an axial end face of the rotating member of the marking deviice. A slide member is reciprocated by an air cylinder solenoid or the like which is attached thereto and which moves the slide member in a plane parallel to the axial end face of the rotating member. The slide member has cam surfaces extending therefrom towards the axial end face which are moved generally along a diameter of the end face, spaced slightly axially of the end face. A plurality of abutment pins project from the end face circumferentially spaced from one another and are acted upon by the cam surfaces to rotate the rotatable member by a desired degree to index it to a new position.

In one embodiment illustrated, the system is shown in connection with a moving box printer such as that disclosed in the pending United States application of Eugene R. Norwood, Ser. No. 359,273 filed May 1 1, 1973, the teachings of which are herein incorporated by reference.

In the primary embodiment, the slide member carrying the cam surfaces moves parallel to a diameter of the rotating member. However in an alternative embodiment illustrated, the cam surfaces are provided on a pivotable member so that the cam surfaces move arcuately along a curve which intersects with a circle generated by the position of the pinsprojecting from a rotating member. The alternative embodiment can. be used in those instances where it is desired to reduce the height of the unit or where operating space is limited.

Further, in the preferred embodiment illustrated, the automatically indexed marking member is equipped with a manually indexable marking member to provide a marking assembly which is adaptable to a variety of marking usages.

Further, it should be appreciated that although in the embodiments illustrated, the marking is done by a raised indicia on a surface for stamping or inking a surface receiving other embodiments can be provided. For example, the raised indicia on the surface of the rotating member could be heated and brought into contact with a heat transfer tape to transfer a portion of the tape corresponding to the heated indicia to a surface to be marked.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved marking device.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a marking device having positive indexing means for changing the imprint made by the marking device.

It is another and more particular object of this invention to provide a marking device equipped with an indexing system for changing the mark to be imprinted by the device, the indexing system including a pair of moving cam surfaces which are engagable with a plurality of pins projecting from a rotating member to rotate the member.

It is another and more important object of this invention to provide a marking device having a rotating member indexable to successive positions to change the imprint to be made by the marking member, the rotatable member having a plurality of pins projecting from an axial end surface thereof, the pins acted upon by a pair of cam surfaces mounted on a movable member adjacent the axial end face.

It is another object of this invention to provide an indexable marking device which is indexed by a cam member subject to reciprocating movement with a minimum of moving parts.

It is the general object of this invention to provide an indexable marking device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, although variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a box printing device equipped with a marking device of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial view similar to FIG. 1 illustrating a dual marking device assembly.

FIG. 3 is a front plan view partially in section of the marking device of this invention.

FIG. 4 is a side plan view of the device of FIG. 3 taken along the lines IVIV.

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the device of FIG. 3 taken along the lines V-V.

FIG. 6 is a side plan view of the marking device of FIG. 3 taken along the lines VIIVII.

FIGS. 7,8,9, and 10 are sequential cross sectional views illustrating indexing of the marking device of FIG. 3 taken along the lines VIIVII of FIG. 3.

FIG. 11 is a partial side view similar to FIG. 4 of another embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 12 is a partial side plan view of the device of the FIG. 11 taken along the lines XII-XII of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a view similar to FIG. 11 illustrating another embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 14 is a view similar to FIG. 12 illustrating the embodiment of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a partial plan view of a modified rotating member for a marking device according to this invention.

FIGS. 16, 17, 18, and 19 are sequential cross sectional views similar to FIGS. 7 through 10 illustrating operation of the embodiment of FIGS. 13 and 14.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 illustrates a plan view of a moving box printing machine such as illustrated in the aforementioned application of Eugene R. Norwood entitled, Moving Box Printer, Ser. No. 359,273, filed May I1, 1973. The box printer includes a cam'age assembly 12, an imprinter or marker device 13, an inker assembly 14 and an abutment assembly 15. The marking device 13 is mounted on a yoke 17 which in turn is attached to two depending shafts 18 which are carried by the carriage 12. The carriage 12 is mounted for movement on support rod 19 and is movable therealong by the engagement of an abutment roller 20 on the abutment assembly 15 with a box moving on a conveyor positioned under the box printer 10. As the carriage 12 moves, it moves the marker device 13 past an ink roller 21 to ink the imprinting type faces 59a on the marker device. Thereafter, actuation of a trip switch 22 by contact with a stationary member 23 will activate the doulbe movement power cylinder 25 to move the yoke 17 downward on the shafts 18 to bring the type face 22 into contact with a box on the conveyor. Further movement of the carriage will bring the abutment cam 28 into contact with a stationary roller 30 which will lift the abutment roller 20 out of contact with the box and allow the carriage 12 to return to the initial position illustrated in the figure. After imprinting and before return, the cylinder 25 will return the imprint device 13 to its upper position as illustrated out of contact with the box.

It is to be understood that this assembly is shown for purposes of illustration only and the marker device of this invention is usable in other types of imprinting assemblies.

The marker device 13 which is attached to the yoke 17 in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 consists of a marking section 35, an indexing section 36, and an indexing power section 37.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, the imprint marker device 13 consists of a frame memberhaving a central section 51 At opposite ends of the central section 51 offset bosses 52 and 53 are located to one side. The bosses 52 and 53 are spaced apart. The boss 52 may function as an attachment member for attaching the marker device 13 to the yoke 17 or other machine frame mounting'. A freely rotatable reel 54 is mounted to the boss 52 to one side 55 thereof and is spaced above the intermediate section 51. A second rotatable reel 56 is attached to the boss 53 below the reel 54 and below the intermediate section 51. A band 57 is received around the reels 54, 56 and extends therebetween. The band 57 has a plurality of spaced apart raised indicia 59 thereon which provide a type face 22 for the band 57. In the embodiment illustrated, a pair of manually indexable reels 60 and 61 are attached to a common shaft 62 projecting from the intermediate section 51 between the bosses 52 and 53. The bottom portion 63 of the boss 53 is rounded and a pair of bands 65 and 66 are received around the reels 60 and 61 and the boss 53. The boss 53 is positioned with respect to the reel 56 so that the type raised indicia 59 of the band 57 will be at a level with similarly raised type face indicia 59' on the bands 65 and 66. A tensioning device 68 may also be attached to the boss 53 for tensioning the bands 65 and 66.

In the embodiment illustrated, the three bands 57, 65, and 66 can be utilized to imprint a considerable variety of information on a surface. Of course, it is to be understood that the manually operated bands 65 and 66 are illustrated only in a preferred embodiment, and could be eliminated or there could be either only one manual band or three or more manual bands. FIG. 2 illustrates a modified embodiment where four manual bands are provided and two automatically indexed bands corresponding with the band 57 are provided, any desired number of manual and automatic bands being usable in various embodiments of marking devices. Further, although in the embodiment illustrated function of advancement of the automatic band reels 54 or 56.

It is the intent of this invention to provide an indexing device for advancing the automatic band 57 by rotating the reel 56 as a result of an external actuating system signal. This signal could be derived from, for example, a clock mechanism, a sequential counter mechanism, a manual actuator such as a button or switch or, in general, any external signal generator.

The reel 56, in the embodiment illustrates in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 consists of a reel which is composed of spaced apart discs 70 and 71 with a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart pins 72 extending therebetween. The discs can be connected to a solid central section which receives an axial member 74 for attachment to the boss 53. The pins 72 project beyond one of the discs 71 remote from the boss. The disc 71 forms an axial end wall for the reel which is the equivalent of the before-mentioned rotatable or rotating member or device and the projections 78 of the pins provides abutment pin members or cam followers.

The intermediate section 51 of the frame has a channel defining member 80 projecting therefrom, the channel defining member extending downwardly in spaced relation to the boss 53 on the opposite side of the reel 56. As best illustrated in FIG. 5, the channel defining member 80 has opposed wall portions 81 and 82 which define a central channel 83 and which may have guide notches 84 therein. A slide member 85 is received in the channel 83 and is reciprocatively movable therein. The slide member may have opposed tongues 86 which are slidably received in the guide notches 84 to maintain the slide member 85 in the channel 83. The slide member is attached to the power arm 90 of a power cylinder 91 mounted to the intermediate portion 51 of the frame. The power arm 90 and slide member 85 are movable in a plane parallel to the axial end face of the reel 56 formed by the disc 71, the plan of movement of the slide being axially spaced from the reel. Preferably the slide member moves along a diameter zone of the reel.

The slide member has an inside face 89 in opposition to the axial end face of the reel. A pair of cam members 91 and 92 project from the face 89 a distance sufficient to intersect the abutment pins 78. The slide member 85 has a distance of travel in the guide member 80 sufficient to move the cam members 91 and 92 radially of the reel 56 so that cam surfaces on the cam members can act against the abutment pins 78 as hereinafter described.

FIGS. 7, 8, 9, and are sequential views taken along the lines VII-VII of FIG. 3 with the slide member and guide channels shown by broken lines and the cam members 91 and 92 shown in section. The views illustrate the axial end face 100 of the reel 56 formed by the disc 71 and the abutment pins 78 formed by the projections 78 of the pins 72 beyond the disc 71 For purposes of clarity, the movement of the slide member will be described as a vertical movement although it is to be understood that the device illustrated could be installed in position and that movement of the slide could be horizontal or at an angle to the vertical.

FIG. 7 illustrates the assembly with the slide member 85 at a top position. FIG. 9 shows the slide member 85 at a bottom position and FIGS. 8 and 10 show the slide member at positions intermediate the top and bottom positions.

The cam 91 has a base wall 97 defined between vertical side walls 98 and 99 and a cam surface 101 extending from the wall 98 to a point 102 spaced from the base wall 97. An angle wall 103 extends from the point 102 back towards the base wall 97 to a point of intersection with the side wall 99. The side walls 98 and 99 adjacent the base walls are spaced apart approximately equal to the distance between adjacent abutment pins 78 so that when the base portion 96 of the cam 91 is p0- sitioned between adjacent pins 78, rotational movement of the reel 56 is prevented.

The cam member 92 has a top base wall 97 defined by side walls 98 and 99 with a cam surface 105 extending from the the side wall 98 to a point 106 of intersection with the side wall 99'. The cam surface 105 is parallel to the surface 103 of the cam 91 and is spaced therefrom by a distance slightly greater than the diameter of the abutment pins 78. It will be noted that the cam wall 105 extends below the surface 103 and has a portion thereof opposed to the side wall 99 of cam 91.

Indexing of the reel 56 is accomplished by reciprocation of the slide member in the guide member 80. FIG. 7 illustrates a preferred rest position such as the position which the slide member would normally be in dur ing an imprinting operation being carried out by movement of the entire imprinter assembly 13, towards and away from a surface to be imprinted. When it is desired to index the reel 56, the inner cylinder 91 is actuated in response to a signal derived from an external source. The cylinder will move the slide assembly from the position illustrated in FIG. 7 where rotation of the reel 56 is prevented by abutment between adjacent abutment pins A and B with side walls 98 and 99 of cam 91. The initial movement is illustrated in FIG. 8 where the slide member is moved downwardly to a point where the abutment pin B will contact the cam surface 105 of cam member 92. As downward movement continues, the contact between the abutment pin B and the cam surface 105 will cause the reel 56 to move counterclockwise in the direction indicated by the arrow 110. The movement of the slide will cause the abutment pin B to move into the channel defined between the surface 103 of cam 91 and the cam surface 105 of cam 92.

Further downward movement as illustrated in FIG. 9 will move the abutment pin B to a rotated position beyond the point 102 of cam 91 as illustrated. The movement of the slide member is then reversed to bring the cam 91 upwardly to the point where the cam surface 101 will contact the abutment pin B. Action of the cam surface 101 against the abutment pin B will cause the reel 56 to continue rotating. The upward movement of the slide is continued until, the cam surface 101 is past the abutment pin B at which time the abutment pin B will be adjacent the side wall 98 and abutment pin C will be adjacent the side wall 99 and rotation will again be prevented by the contact between the abutment pins B and C with the side walls of cam 91.

It is to be appreciated that movement of the reel 56 is caused solely by contact of the abutment pin B with cam surfaces 105 and 101. Side walls 98 and 98' provide dwell points at the ends fo the cam surfaces as well as providing for positive locking of the reel 56 against rotation. The angles of the cam surfaces 101 and 105 to the vertical are maintained such that the surfaces are relatively long which reduces the resistance to rotational movement.

It should be appreciated that the position indicated in FIG. 7 is described as a rest position only by way of example and that the rest position would be the position of FIG. 9 if desired and the same anti-rotational locking can be provided by spacing apart the side walls 98 and 99 a distance approximately equal to the distance between adjacent abutment pins. Further, the rest and anti-rotation position could be the position of FIG. 10 by spacing apart the side wall 99 and the cam surface 101 the appropriate distance. It is, however, preferable that the rest and rotational locking position be at one end of the other of the stroke of the power arm 90. In order to provide for positive movement of the band 57, as illustrated in FIG. 4 the undersurface 57' of the band 57 may be notched as at 58, the notches being spaced apart along the length of the band by a distance equal to the spacing between the pins 72 so that the pins 72 will index with the notches. By providing the type surfaces 59 intermediate the notches 58 it will be assured that one reciprocation of the slide member 85 will move the band from one type face to the adjacent type face.

FIGS. 1 1 and 12 illustrate a modified form of this invention wherein the guide channel 80 and the slide member 85 are wider. The slide member 85 has a projection 120 extending from the bottom 121 thereof the projection having cam surfaces 122 and 123 thereon. The projection 120 is relatively narrow and the cam members 122 and 123 extend from the side walls of the projection towards the center thereof.

The reel 56 has a channel 124 defined between axial end walls 125 and 126. The channel may have pins 127 therein extending thereacross for indexing with notches in a belt if desired. However, as is shown in FIg. 11, the abutment pins 78' are separate from the pins 127 and are spaced radially inwardly of the bottom 128 of the channel 124. This shows that the abutment pins need not be placed near the periphery of the reel and cam in various embodiments be placed relatively close to the axis of the reel. This allows the use of a large reel when desired. Further, it is to be understood, that as shown in FIG. 15, the rotating member which is driven by the cam surfaces need not be a reel but could be a cylinder member 150 having raised indicia 151 on the outer periphery thereof, the raised indicia themselves acting as the imprint type faces.

Thus, where the rotating member is to be used to imprint directly rather than relying on a band, or where the imprint is to be large thereby requiring a large surface area of the band or of the rotating member to be available for imprinting, it may be desired to have a large outer diameter reel or rotating member. In such an instance, it is not necessary that the abutment pins be placed at the circumference which would thereby require a large width cam member. The pins may be placed closer to the axis of the rotating member thereby allowing the cam members to be kept relatively small while still having a thickness sufficient to extend between adjacent abutment pins. Further, as is illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, the abutment pins themselves may have relatively large diameters thereby again allowing the thickness of the cams between the side walls 98, 98 and 99, 99' to remain small. As this thickness increases, the length of the cam faces 101, 105 would have to increase or the angles of the cam faces relative to the vertical would have to disadvantageously changed. By using larger diameter pins or by placing 8 the pins closer to the axis of the rotating member, this difficulty can be avoided.

It should further be appreciated that in the embodiment of FIGS. 3, 4, 5, and 6 the cam members 91 and 92 project from a side surface of the slide member whereas in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 l and 12 the cam members are generated from a face of a projecting arm attached to the slide member In the embodiment of FIGS. 11 and 12, the slide member is used primarily to maintain the projection in position relative to the rotating member or reel 56.

In both the embodiments of FIG. 3 and of FIG. 11, each cam member operates only to one side of the axis of the rotating member. However, in other embodiments, the slide member or the projection 120 could extend beyond the axis of the reel and have two widely spaced apart cam members so that one cam member would act against abutment pins located on one side of the axis of the rotating member or reel while the other cam member acted against abutment pins located on the other side of the axis of the rotating member or reel.

In the embodiments discussed thus far, the cam members are moved in a straight line, preferably a diameter line of the rotating member, however, in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14, the cam members move along a curve.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, a rotating member has a plurality of abutment pins 151 extending from an axial end face 152 thereof. The periphery of the rotating member 150 may be notched as at 152 to index with corresponding notches in a belt 153 or the periphery could be as illustrated in FIG. 15 providing raised type faces 151. A frame member 155 is positioned adjacent the rotating member 150 and has a power cylinder 156 attached thereto and a pivotable member 157 attached thereto. The pivotable member extends from a pivot 158 in a plane parallel to the plane of the end face 152 and spaced from the axis thereof. The pivot member 158 has a pair of cam members 160 and 161 thereon. The cam members 160 and 161 are generated from a face of the pivot member 157 in opposition to the axial end face 152 and abutment pins 151. The pivotable member 157 is positioned such that pivoting of the member 157 will cause the cam members 160 and 161 to contact the pins 151.

The power arm 159 of the cylinder 156 is pivotably attached to the pivot member 157 as at 163 to actuate pivoting of the member 157.

By using the pivoting member 157, a mechanical leverage can be obtained which will allow the use of a short movement power arm 159 to produce a correspondingly longer movement of the cam members 160 and 161. This construction is also beneficial wherever space requirements or positioning requirements restrict the ability to use the slide member of previous embodiments.

As illustrated in FIGS. 16 through 19, the cam members 160 and 161 have cam surfaces and 171 generated as curves and lying on a side of the cam member adjacent the pivot point. It is to be understood that the generation of the cam surfaces 170 and 171 as curves is only a preferred embodiment and they could be straight if desired.

In this embodiment, the rest position may be as indicated in FIG. 13 where the pin A contacts a side wall of cam 161 and the pin B contacts an opposite side wall 181 of cam 161. A downward movement of the power arm 159 as illustrated in FIG. 16 will cause the cam surface 170 of cam 160 to engage the abutment pin 8' on the side of the pin opposite the pivot point 158. Further downward movement as illustrated in FIG. 18 will cause the rotating member 150 to rotate clockwise until the pin B rotates beyond the cam surface 170 to a point where it may come in contact with side wall 183 of cam member 160 to provide a dwell point. At this point abutment pin B will be in a position to be contacted by the leading edge of cam surface 171 when a reversal of movement of the power arm 1S9 raises cam member 161 from the position illustrated in FIG. 18 to the position illustrated in FIG. 19. Contact with cam surface 171 will cause abutment pin B1 to be further rotated to the position illustrated in FIG. 9. A slight further upward movement of the power arm 159 will return the assembly to the position illustrated in FIG. 13 with the cam member 161 positioned between abutment pins 8' and C instead of between abutment pins A and B as illustrated in FIG. 13.

It will be appreciated that the pivot point 158 could be located at points other than indicated and'that the abutment pins could be positioned closer to the axis of the rotating member if desired. By changing the position of the pivot member with respect to the axis of the rotating member the arcuate movement of the cams 160 and 161 with respect to the rotating member 150 will be changed. This will result in a necessity to design the cam surfaces differently from those illustrated.

Although we have described the rest position as being the position illustrated in FIG. 13, it is to be understood that the rest position could be that illustrated in FIG. 18 if desired or that illustrated in FIG. 17 with a slight modification of the cam members so that the cam surface 171 of cam 161 would contact the pin B while the side surface 185 of cam member 160 contacts the pin C. i

It will therefore be appreciated from the above that our invention provides an indexable marking device where the marking device is equipped with a plurality of surface means, such as type faces, which may be formed on a rotating member or which may be on a belt driven by the rotating member. The surface means are capable of imprinting different indicia by rotation of the rotatable member to present different surface means in an imprint position. The rotatable member is indexed from one rotary position to a successive rotary position by actuation of an indexing device. The indexing device consists of projections on the rotating member and a pair of cam surfaces which are positioned to act against the projections. The cam surfaces are on a reciprocating member or are carried by a projection from the reciprocating member. A power device is provided to reciprocate the member and cam surfaces through an area into which the projections extend. During movement of the reciprocating member in one direction one of the cam surfaces engages one of the projections and rotates the rotating member half the distance necessary to move from one surface means to the next surface means. During the backward reciprotory movement of the reciprocating member, the second cam surface acts against a projection to move the rotating member a distance equal to the first movement and in the same direction. It will be understood that depending upon the initial or rest position of the reciprocating member, the cam surfaces during a full reciprocation could each work on the ,same projection or could work on successive projections. For example, in

the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 13 through 19, if the rest position is as illustrated in FIG. 13, on the downward stroke of the reciprocating member, that is the pivotable member 157, the cam surface will work against pin B. During the reverse movement of the pivotable member 157 the cam surface 171 will also work against pin B as shown in FIG. 17. However, if the rest position is as shown in FIG. 18, then the initial up movement will cause cam surface 171 to work against projection B whereas in the reverse or down movement, cam surface 170 will work against projection C.

It will be further appreciated that although the means for moving the reciprocating member is illustrated as being a double acting hydraulic cylinder, other devices such as solenoids or the like could be utilized. Further, it is not necessary that the moving member be double acting as in the case of a double acting hydraulic cylinder. A single acting device could be utilized together with a return spring. In addition, in certain embodiments, for example where it is desired to provide sequential numbering, the power means for actuating the reciprocating member could be a linkage driven from some other part of the machinery, either the production machinery with which the marker is utilized, or, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the movement of the yoke. Further, it should be appreciated that although we have shown devices which utilize a full reciprocatory movement of the reciprocating member for each full indexing of the rotatable member from one imprinting position to the next, in certain embodiments, where space considerations allow it and where the rotating member is large enough, half the number of projecting abutment pins could be utilized together with longer cam surfaces so that a full index from one position to the next position would be obtained by a one direction movement of the reciprocating member.

Although the teachings of our invention have herein been discussed with reference to specific theories and embodiments, it is to be understood that these are by way of illustration only and that others may wish to utilize our invention in different designs or applications.

We claim as our invention:

1. A marking device for imprinting selected indicia on a surface to be imprinted comprising in combination: a marking device including a marking means and means for indexing said marking means, the marking means comprising a plurality of spaced apart face means for imprinting different indicia, the means for indexing comprising a rotatable member associated with the face means for moving the face means, one at a time, by rotation of the rotatable member, into position for imprinting, a plurality of projections associated with the rotatable member, a reciprocatable member having at least two spaced apart cam surfaces attached thereto, a first cam surface engaging one of said projections, engagement of said one projection moving the said one projection in one direction, said one projection being connected to said rotatable member, movement of the said one projection in the one direction imparting rotating movement to the rotatable member in a first direction, a second cam surface engaging either said one projection or an adjacent projection, engagement of the said one projection or an adjacent projection by the second cam surface moving the said one projection or an adjacent projection in the one direction, said projection engaged by said second cam surface connected to the rotatable member, movement of the projection engaged by the said second cam surface in the one direction imparting atrotating movement to the rotatable member in the first direction, engagement of the first cam surface with the said one projection being in dependent relation to movement of the reciprocating member in a first reciprocating direction, engagement of the second cam surface with the projection engaged thereby being in dependent relation to movement of the reciprocatable member in a second reciprocating direction, opposite the first reciprocating direction, only one of said cam surfaces engaging a projection at a time, power means for moving the reciprocatable member in the first and second reciprocating directions, the reciprocatable member being a pivotable member having a pivot point spaced radially of the rotatable member with a face portion positioned axially of the rotatable member spaced from an axial end face of the rotatable member, the cam surfaces being side walls of cam members projecting from the pivotable member, the cam surfaces extending axially of the rotatable member and the projections extending axially of the rotatable member from an axial end face thereof.

2. A marking device which comprises a frame, a rotatable marking means carried by said frame having a plurality of spaced apart face means around a periphery thereof for imprinting indicia, a rotatableindexing means'mounted on the frame for rotating the rotatable marking means to successively advance the face means step by step into a printing position, said rotatable indexing means having a plurality of circumferentially 12 spaced projections, a reciprocatable member having first and second spaced apart cam surface means, means on said frame for moving the reciprocatable member in opposite first and second directions, said first cam surface means positioned to engage one of said projections, the engagement of said one of said projections rotating the indexing means in one direction when said means for moving moves the reciprocatable member in a first direction, the said second cam surface means positioned to engage either said one of said projections or an adjacent projection, said engagement by said second cam surface means rotating the indexing means in said one direction when the said means for moving moves the reciprocatable member in a second-direction opposite the one direction, and said first and second cam surfaces alternately projecting between a pair of projections at the ends of the reciproeating stroke of the reciprocatable member to lock the pivoting of the pivotable member. 

1. A marking device for imprinting selected indicia on a surface to be imprinted comprising in combination: a marking device including a marking means and means for indexing said marking means, the marking means comprising a plurality of spaced apart face means for imprinting different indicia, the means for indexing comprising a rotatable member associated with the face means for moving the face means, one at a time, by rotation of the rotatable member, into position for imprinting, a plurality of projections associated with the rotatable member, a reciprocatable member having at least two spaced apart cam surfaces attached thereto, a first cam surface engaging one of said projections, engagement of said one projection moving the said one projection in one direction, said one projection being connected to said rotatable member, movement of the said one projection in the one direction imparting rotating movement to the rotatable member in a first direction, a second cam surface engaging either said one projection or an adjacent projection, engagement of the said one projection or an adjacent projection by the second cam surface moving the said one projection or an adjacent projection in the one direction, said projection engaged by said second cam surface connected to the rotatable member, movement of the projection engaged by the said second cam surface in the one direction imparting a rotating movement to the rotatable member in the first direction, engagement of the first cam surface with the said one projection being in dependent relation to movement of the recipRocating member in a first reciprocating direction, engagement of the second cam surface with the projection engaged thereby being in dependent relation to movement of the reciprocatable member in a second reciprocating direction, opposite the first reciprocating direction, only one of said cam surfaces engaging a projection at a time, power means for moving the reciprocatable member in the first and second reciprocating directions, the reciprocatable member being a pivotable member having a pivot point spaced radially of the rotatable member with a face portion positioned axially of the rotatable member spaced from an axial end face of the rotatable member, the cam surfaces being side walls of cam members projecting from the pivotable member, the cam surfaces extending axially of the rotatable member and the projections extending axially of the rotatable member from an axial end face thereof.
 2. A marking device which comprises a frame, a rotatable marking means carried by said frame having a plurality of spaced apart face means around a periphery thereof for imprinting indicia, a rotatable indexing means mounted on the frame for rotating the rotatable marking means to successively advance the face means step by step into a printing position, said rotatable indexing means having a plurality of circumferentially spaced projections, a reciprocatable member having first and second spaced apart cam surface means, means on said frame for moving the reciprocatable member in opposite first and second directions, said first cam surface means positioned to engage one of said projections, the engagement of said one of said projections rotating the indexing means in one direction when said means for moving moves the reciprocatable member in a first direction, the said second cam surface means positioned to engage either said one of said projections or an adjacent projection, said engagement by said second cam surface means rotating the indexing means in said one direction when the said means for moving moves the reciprocatable member in a second direction opposite the one direction, and said first and second cam surfaces alternately projecting between a pair of projections at the ends of the reciprocating stroke of the reciprocatable member to lock the marking means against rotation with a face means positioned at the printing position, the reciprocatable member being a pivotable member having a pivot point spaced from an axis of the rotatable indexing means, the pivotable member spaced from an axial end face of the rotatable indexing means, the pivotable member pivotable through an arc which intersects a circle generated by the projections, cam surfaces on the pivotable member positioned to intersect the circle, the cam surfaces positioned to contact the projections during pivoting of the pivotable member. 